Monday, January 5, 2026

Time Machine Trip to January 1896

 

Kaukauna Times

By Lyle Hansen KAHS


January 3, 1896

 

Capt. D. J. Brothers has appointed as postmaster to succeed Thomas Reese by President Cleveland. Mr. Reese will continue to carry on his news stand, tobacco and fancy good store, in which he already has a good track established. Mr. Brothers will move the office to his building on Lawe Street. 

 

Kaukauna has lost another landmark as the New Year starts. Kaukauna's first tavern was destroyed by fire last Saturday; the tavern located at the transfer point on the old Plank Road known as "Bowery." The structure was erected in 1849.

 

The river is completely frozen over and excellent for skating with ice so smooth and clear as glass. 

 

Clara Manders, aged 16 years, died at the asylum Monday and was buried this afternoon in the asylum cemetery. She came from Kaukauna and had been at the county asylum ever since it was established.

  

January 10, 1896

Luther Lindauer is now harvesting his annual crop of ice from the river above the dam. The ice at present is about a foot, thick and clear as crystal.

 

 

The Thompson Club is being thoroughly renovated this week, and new paper is added to all the walls. A housewarming ceremony will occur on Saturday evening, to which all friends are invited.

 

Menominee pays a bounty on sparrows. 1,550 were killed by boys in that city during November. They get three cents apiece for them.

 

Molly, Polly, Annie, Maggie, Peggy, Nancy and Nan are as much in vogue today as in the olden time and in all probability, will continue to be given as Christian names to baby girls for all time. Some parents refuse to give first names to their children, preferring that the children should choose their own names. A Methodist was approached by a woman who asked that her daughter be baptized Luci thur. Lucifer! Lucifer! Never will I name a child that. Then he continued as he sprinkled the water upon the brow of the baby. George Washington, I baptize thee. She was called by that name from there after.

 

January 17, 1896

The Oneida Indians are pressing a claim against the government for $17,000 dating back to the time of the allotment of land to them several years ago. They were to receive $25,000 from the government to assist them in farming operations. They claim that only $8,000 of the amount has been paid.

 

January 24, 1896

A bright young girl from a neighboring town described the word kiss as follows. "Kiss is a noun, though generally used as a conjunction. It is more common than proper. It is not very singular and generally used in the plural number, and it agrees with me.

 

While unloading a car of coal at the Northwestern sheds on the south side last Saturday the workmen were startled by finding a corpse in the bottom of a car. How he got in there was most likely down among the coal mines. The remains were taken out an interred and there is an affected family somewhere mourning the untimely departure of a Bruno.

 

January 31, 1896

 

Now that sleighing is good, the Oneida Indians have commenced their annual harvest and sale of poplar pulp wood. It is no uncommon occurrence for thirty to forty loads of wood to be delivered at Kaukauna in one day. The Thilmany Paper Company and the Reese Company are the principal buyers.

 

Another one of Kaukauna’s early pioneers has travelled to that borne from whence no one returneth. Peter Lewis, aged 78, breathed his last and passed to his reward on Sunday afternoon. He was born in Eden, North Brobend, Holland, June 11, 1818. He came to Little Chute in 1853. He and his wife then moved to Kaukauna to enter the employment of the Fox River Improvement company in the building of the present government canal.